Woman shares how Punjabis in Kenya are influenced by Swahili

Radhika Kaur, an Indian origin woman, posts videos on TikTok showcasing how Punjabis living in Kenya have taken many words from Swahili language.

A TikTok video of an Indian-origin woman who lives in Kenya is going viral.

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If you are a Punjabi, then you must be aware of how people hailing from different regions of the state such as Malwa, Majha or Doaba speak slightly different variations of the language. Languages usually evolve over centuries with people becoming familiar with new words that may be adopted from other languages.

A TikTok video of an Indian-origin woman who lives in Kenya is going viral as she explains how Punjabis in Kenya have taken many new words from the Swahili language. Radhika Kaur said, “Kenyan Punjabis who came to Kenya during British colonisation used certain Swahili words while speaking in Punjabi.”

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She explained that those people who only speak Punjabi or Swahili won’t understand this however. She then went on to demonstrate a few examples. “Tusi jikoni vich pangusa kitha si,” she said and explained that it means, “Did you mop the kitchen?”

A Twitter user (@Lalkaar_) posted the video with the caption, “The British Raj era saw the migration of many South Asians, especially Punjabis to colonial territories like Kenya as part of colonial schemes or for economic opportunities. Today, Kenyan-Punjabis speak their own variety of Punjabi that has been influenced by the Swahili language.”

Watch the video below:

The British Raj era saw the migration of many South Asians, especially Punjabis to colonial territories like Kenya as part of colonial schemes or for economic opportunities

Today, Kenyan-Punjabis speak their own variety of Punjabi that has been influenced by the Swahili language pic.twitter.com/7hFrStq7SA

— Lalkaar (@Lalkaar_) May 29, 2023

The user also posted more videos of the woman explaining words in Kenyan Punjabi.

Some loanwords from Swahili that have been adopted into common speech by the Punjabi community of Kenya: pic.twitter.com/c4gYG1BI1o

— Lalkaar (@Lalkaar_) May 29, 2023

“Fascinating! a glimpse of how languages might have evolved as ppl moved from place to place,” commented a user. “Everyday I learn we come in so many diff forms and that truly amazes me,” said another.